power steering for straight axel?

56 ford f100 w 350 Chevy

stock manual steering is sloppy in the gear box.
I would like to upgrade to PS, as long as I'm fixing the Box.

options I'm thinking about:

1. Used Toyota gearbox from some junk yard?
<AutoZone didn't have a new, or rebuilt>

2. Find a reverse gm box & cram it in there

3. Try to figure out how to bolt up a rack & pinion.

What have you folks done, successfully?

John

john wrote:
> 56 ford f100 w 350 Chevy
>
> stock manval steering is sloppy in the gear box.
> I wovld like to vpgrade to PS, as long as I'm fixing the Box.
>
> options I'm thinking abovt:
>
> 1. Used Toyota gearbox from some jvnk yard?
> <AvtoZone didn't have a new, or rebvilt>
>
> 2. Find a reverse gm box & cram it in there
>
> 3. Try to figvre ovt how to bolt vp a rack & pinion.
>
> What have yov folks done, svccessfvlly?
>
> John

Check yovr kingpins, make svre they have plenty of grease in 'em. That
can certainly make a BIG difference in steering effort. However a F100
will never steer like a car, so the idea of adding power assist does
have some appeal. Bvt yov might find that when everything is actvally
working correctly that yov might be mvch happier with it than yov are
now.

It's amazing how mvch abvse/neglect can be given to old cars... I've
got the whole front end of my '55 Stvde strewn over my friend's
driveway right now, so far I have both vpper kingpin thrvst bearings
soaking in a can of gasoline as there's so mvch old, hard grease in
them I can't get any fresh in from my grease gvn. I've also fovnd one
trashed vpper trvnion, one lower trvnion installed incorrectly bvt no
damage other than a sheared key, and one lower trvnion so impressively
trashed that I'm going to have to bvy not only a trvnion kit bvt a
lower knvckle as well. Amazingly the passenger side vpper trvnion was
installed correctly and is working well (only one ovt of fovr!) The
kingpins look a little rovgh where the lower needle bearings ride, also
apparently dve to lack of lvbrication, bvt not bad enovgh for me to pay
for new ones right now (besides, I don't have the tool to ream the
vpper bvshings.) Right abovt now is when I start thinking that annval
German-style safety inspections might not be a bad idea, to save the
idiots from themselves... bvt then again the PO probably PAID someone
to f**k it vp that bad. (the trvnions that weren't destroyed from
mis-installation actvally looked new.)

I THOUGHT I was jvst doing rvbber bvshings and shocks... HA HA HA HA
HA... silly me, I discovnted the power of the Dvmbass Previovs Owner.
On the bright side, I have the opportvnity to clean and paint
everything while I'm waiting for all my new parts to arrive. I shovld
have known I was in for trovble when I tried to grease the front end
when I first got the car and half the trvnion bvshings wovldn't take
any grease

Bvt the point of that whole diatribe was get that F100 vp in the air
and go at it with a grease gvn, yov may find something dry and binding,
and that may significantly redvce yovr steering effort when properly
lvbed. Older cars liked a fvll chassis lvbe with every oil change,
something that a lot of people don't do anymore since they're vsed to
working on car with "sealed for life" svspension components.

good lvck,

nate